Full post on Reddit. Final paragraphs:
And I know that sounds bad. I know! I know this basically all sounds like “you prefer 5E to these other games because you have to actually try to play them?” But the answer is actually yeah, exactly! It’s not that I’m checked out on my phone or something, but I’ve learned I’m not actually interested in thinking too much about my part at the table. I think being there at game night with friends is fun, but I mostly just want to be along for the ride until it’s time to roll some dice to hit something and let the other players figure out what to do otherwise, maybe get in some banter-in character in between encounters, and chill. In everything else I’ve played, I’m dead weight if I’m not actively participating. In 5E, I can just kind of vibe until it’s time to roll to unlock a door or stab someone, and I’m not penalized for doing that. The game is neither loose enough that it needs my constant input outside of combat, nor complex enough to need any serious tactical decisions. That’s a very comfortable spot for me!
So yeah. I imagine there’s a lot of players who would prefer other systems if they tried them, but I’m not one of them. And I imagine there’s actually a lot more people like me at tables than you’d expect! Hopefully this gives some insight into why someone would still prefer 5E over everything else, even after giving a lot of other games a shot. Thanks for giving me a chance.
Interesting reflective statement from a 5e player.
If he is in a group of like minded people, then all the power to them.
We have played with people like this in the past, it can get really old really fast. We constantly had to remind them what to roll, what skills / feats / abilities they had, etc. Sometimes there would be a side bar for a character or two for a quick 15-20-minutes. After the PC(s) involved would finish their actions, the player not invested would add what they want to do and we would remind them that they didn’t go. Same thing as above, they were not on their phone or having side conversations. They were just a backseat passenger in their own mind when it came to the game.
We are far from a hardcore group. We regularly interrupt the session for other conversations, it is almost always parallel to a beer share so there is lots of distractions. Even then, the bare minimum for play is at least wanting to participate. The above post is the kind of play I need to do when hand holding my 5-year old along. They are just social loafing and want the “fun parts” (to them) to them at the rest of the tables expense.
And that is the important part! If everyone’s having fun. If someone feels it’s at their expense clearly it needs to change.
I think I’m interpreting the original Reddit thread poster as saying they like 5E instead of other games because they already know the rules. So they wouldn’t be slowing down the table with not knowing the rules (stuff like what to roll) like you describe. If they tried a new game they’d have to put effort into learning new rules—which for some involves focusing on others’ turns play out, because learning by example instead of just reading the rules is pretty helpful. In other words, I am thinking they are saying “with 5e I know it well enough to check out and not be disruptive, with other systems I have to actually pay attention and learn before I can hit ‘non-disruptive without 100% focus’ status”.
I think there’s a difference between the level of checked out you describe and what I’m taking away from this post. I do hope that poster knows their character sheet and isn’t causing disruptions like the kind you described in your reply because I don’t think most people find that fun, regardless of how casual the level of play at the table is. Past tense in your reply suggests these people who caused disruptions no longer play with you, so that’s good.